Therapeutic treatment of disorders of speech, particularly rhotacism and sigmatism



Sept. 17, 1968 o. STAUB THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OF DISORDERS OF SPEECH, PARTICULARLY RHOTACISM AND SIGMATISM Filed Nov. 18, 1965 Vllldldl'plln 'III'III'IIIIIIAvlllllzII/Illl Olga Sfaub I \IVEN TOR United States Patent 3,401,685 THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OF DISORDERS 0F SPEECH, PARTICULARLY RHOTACISM AND SIGMATISM Olga Staub, 22 N euhofstrasse, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Filed Nov. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 508,423 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-24) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For the treatment of speech detects, a vibratile probe is placed on or under the tongue of a patient while being subjected to rapid oscillation.

This invention relates to a therapeutic treatment of disorders of speech, particularly rhotacism and sigmatism.

The term rhotacism is used in speech therapy for faulty enunciation of the r sound. The many mechanical ways of forming sounds and the several points of articulation in the mouth naturally result in various types of rhotacism.

The therapy of rhotacism has always presented great difficulties. The known methods of treatment, for instance gargling with water or an exercise consisting in the continually repeated pronunciation of te-ta, te-ta in quick succession, demand extraordinary effort and stamina on the part of therapist and patient and are extremely burdensome to all concerned.

With the aid of the method according to the invention the treatment of rhotacism and sigmatism can be greatly simplified and facilitated both for the therapist and for the patient, and better results can also be obtained. In the method set forth herein a vibrating probe is introduced into the mouth of the patient and laid against the tongue, being placed under the tongue in the treatment of rhotacism in order to produce a vibration of the tip of the tongue corresponding to the mechanism of articulation of the r sound, and being placed on the tongue with simultaneous rotary movements in the treatment of sigmatism in order to establish the normal position for the formation of the sound.

To apply the method in practice, I propose the use of a probe which is provided with a holder, is set in vibration by an oscillator and is preferably arranged laterally on a coupling piece by means of which it can be fitted on an oscillating shaft of the holder, said shaft being operatively connected to an electric motor, and a gear with oscillator being interposed between said shaft and motor so that the oscillator converts the rotary motion of the electric-motor shaft into a vibrating motion and transmits it to the oscillating shaft.

The accompanying drawing shows one preferred embodiment of the device serving for the practical application of the method according to the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the device;

FIGS. 2-4 represent various forms of the probe; and

FIG. shows a detail in diagrammatic representation.

In the annexed drawing, numeral 1 designates a casing designed as a holder and intended for a guiding by hand, preferably of an electrically insulating material. Housed in said casing are an electric motor 2 with built-in reduction gear 3 having an output shaft 13, anti-interference condensers 4, silicon diodes 5 and a rheostat 6 adjustable by a shaft 7 which passes through one end of easing 1 and carries a rotary knob 8 at its outer end. At the opposite end of easing 1 there is fitted a waterproof bearing 9 for an oscillating shaft 10 having mounted on its inner 3,401,685 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 'ice end an Oscillating fork 12 which is in operative connection with gear shaft 13 through an eccentric 11. Seated on the outer end of oscillating shaft 10, which passes through the end of easing 1, is a driver 14 designed as a cap fitting on the end of the shaft and turning therewith positive or by frictional entrainment. Numeral 15 designates a probe including two circular disk-shaped oscillating bodies which are arranged laterally and at a distance radially from the axis A of driver cap 14, to which they are attached by rods 16. A finger switch 17 is provided on the outside of easing 1 for putting electric motor 2 in operation.

For the treatment of rhotacism the probe 15 is placed against the patients tongue from below, and the switch 17 is actuated. This puts electric motor 2 with gear 3 in operation, whereupon the fork is set in vibration by eccentric 11. Its vibrations are transmitted to oscillating shaft 10, whose resulting oscillations about the axis A are transmitted through driver 14 and rods 16 to the probes 15 and thus to the tongue, so that a vibration of the tip of the tongue corresponding to the mechanism of articulation of the r sound is produced.

For the treatment of sigmatism, particularly lateral sigmatism, it is preferabe to use a probe of somewhat different design, for instance spoon shaped or leaf-shaped, as shown by way of example in FIG. 3. By moving this probe in circles on the patients tongue it is in most cases possible to bring the tongue into the normal position for articulation of sibil-ants in a very short time. FIGS. 2 and 4 show two other suitable forms of the probe. All these different probes can be interchanged quickly and easily as required.

Electric motor 2 may be operated either on built-in dry batteries or on the supply mains, the supply line being provided with a socket transformer 18 as in the form shown in the drawing. The frequency and strength of the vibrations can be adjusted within wide limits with rotary knob 8 acting through rheostat 6 and may thus be adapted to individual requirements.

Other known forms of oscillation generators may be used instead of the electric motor with built-in gear and oscillator as shown, for instance hammer interrupters acting on the principle of the electric bell, mercury interrupters, electrolyte interrupters, tuning-fork interrupters, etc.

What I claim is:

1. A method of therapeutic treatment of disorders of speech, particularly rhotacism and sigmatism, wherein a vibrating probe is introduced into the mouth of the patient and laid against the tongue, being placed under the tongue in the treatment of rhotacism in order to produce a vibration of the tip of the tongue corresponding to the mechanism of articulation of the r sound, and being placed on the tongue with simultaneous rotary movements in the treatment of sigmatism in order to establish the normal position for the articulation of the sound.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,141,304 12/1938 Kirwan et a1. 2,549,398 4/1951 Stelz 1281 2,912,976 11/ 1959 Grund. 3,014,286 12/1961 Hricak 35-35 3,104,405 9/ 1963 Perrinjaquet.

FQREIGN PATENTS 169,217 9/1921 Great Britain.

L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner. 

